Medical science has long acknowledged the many health benefits, both physical and psychological, of standing. However, for many disabled people, this is not possible without help which is usually in the form of a caregiver. However, a caregiver is not the answer to every situation, such as if a caregiver is not able to lift the disabled person, if a caregiver cannot be afforded, if the disabled person would like more independence, or if otherwise a caregiver is unavailable.
As a result, patient lift devices have been developed, primarily for use in hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutional settings. These patient lift devices are designed to aid in the transfer of a patient from one location to another, such as from a bed to a wheelchair. Some of these devices are designed to assist a caregiver in moving a patient rather than enabling the patient to perform this function independently. Other devices allow for the patient to stand up without the aid of a caregiver, but do not provide a way for the patient to move about once standing on the device without the aid of a caregiver.
Motorized wheelchairs have also been developed to enable the user to rise from the seated position and move about at a normal standing height. Such wheelchairs lift the user by means of the chair or seating portion being extended upward and straightened into a substantially vertical platform to support the user in the upright or “standing” position. In such a position, most of the mechanical portion of the device is behind the user. These devices require a user to “transfer” from their bed to the device each morning, and from the device into bed each night, and from the device onto the commode and then back onto the device at different times throughout the day.
The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.